SAN FRANCISCO, CA, April 4, 2006– On Thursday (4/6/06), the Independent Citizens’
Oversight Committee (ICOC) for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM)
will meet in Los Angeles at the USC Keck School of Medicine.

WHAT: CIRM President Zach Hall will present a plan and public process for the preparation of the scientific research strategic plan, which the ICOC must develop under the requirements of the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act.

The ICOC will consider the proposed Grants Administration Policy (GAP), which specifies the terms and conditions for grants awarded by the CIRM. With the ICOC’s approval, the GAP will enter into the formal rulemaking process governed by the California Administrative Procedures Act. Along with the Intellectual Property Policy for Non-Profits and the Scientific and Medical Accountability Standards approved by the ICOC in February, the GAP will ensure that CIRM-funded research meets the highest standards for scientific integrity.

Just prior to the formal meeting, the ICOC will hear an educational presentation, co-sponsored by the CIRM, the Alliance for Stem Cell Research, Autism Speaks, and Cure Autism Now, on Autism. The forum will address the current understanding and treatments of the condition as well as possible applications for stem cell research.

WHY: The ICOC is responsible for the oversight and management of the CIRM, which was established in 2004 with the passage of Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative. The statewide ballot measure, which provided $3 billion in funding for stem cell research at California universities and research institutions, was approved by California voters, and called for the establishment of an entity to make grants and provide loans for stem cell research, research facilities, and other vital research.